By IDRIS OLUKOYA

Residents of Epe, in Lagos State, have decried a 10-month electricity blackout, urging the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) to urgently restore power to their community.

In separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, residents said the prolonged outage had severely disrupted their daily activities and negatively impacted businesses in the area.

They described the blackout as unacceptable, noting that it has severely disrupted socio-economic activities and worsened living conditions across the town.

The residents also appealed to political leaders, traditional rulers, and community stakeholders to intervene and ensure a lasting solution to the blackout.

The Epe youth leader, Mr Tobi Jaiyesimi, said youths had repeatedly engaged IKEDC over the prolonged electricity supply challenges.

Jaiyesimi said IKEDC officials claimed the issue required the involvement of community leaders, citing vandalism, cable theft, and other unresolved challenges.

He added that the blackout had crippled small businesses, disrupted students’ studies, and heightened hardship among residents.

Another resident, Mr. Kunle Kolaoso, said artisans and traders now depend on costly alternative power sources, which have increased expenses and reduced profit margins.

Similarly, Mr. Demola Simeon, a resident of the town, said the prolonged darkness had worsened insecurity, exposing residents to criminal activities at night.

Another resident, Ms. Kehinde Awolaja said the outage had affected healthcare delivery and household welfare, urging leaders to treat the matter as an emergency.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of Epe Local Government Area, Ms Surah Animashaun, said efforts were ongoing to restore electricity supply to the community.

Animashaun said the council had engaged IKEDC to secure a permanent solution, assuring residents that lasting measures would soon be implemented. (NAN)